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Accessibility statement

Last updated: 30 November 2023

This accessibility statement applies to the Waverley website and other websites we use to deliver our services.

This website is run by Waverley Borough Council. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website.  For example, this means you should be able to:

  • navigate most of the website using a keyboard
  • navigate most of the website using speech recognition software
  • listen to most of the website using a screenreader
  • change the font size of the text without the text spilling off the screen

We’ve also tried to make the website text as simple as possible to understand.

AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.

How accessible this website is

We know some parts of this website are not fully accessible:

  • older PDF documents and some submitted by third parties are not fully accessible to screen reader software
  • live video streams  and videos of our council meetings do not have captions
  • some online forms and partner website we use to deliver our services are difficult to navigate using just a keyboard
  • online maps are not accessible to screen reader software.

Feedback and contact information

If you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille:

We’ll consider your request and get back to you in ten working days.

If you cannot view the map on our ‘Contact us’ page, call 01483 523333 or email us general.enquiries@waverley.gov.uk for directions.

Reporting accessibility problems with this website

We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, please contact the Website Manager:

Enforcement procedure

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the ‘accessibility regulations’). If you’re not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).

Visiting us in person

For people who have hearing aids, we have a standard hearing loop in reception and infra-red loops in the council chamber and our committee meeting rooms.

Please email general.enquiries@waverley.gov.uk to find out more.

Technical information about this website’s accessibility

Waverley Borough Council is committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

Compliance status

This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard, due to the non-compliances and exemptions listed below.

Non-accessible content

The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.

  • some older PDF documents, and some supplied by other parties, are not fully accessible to screen reader software
  • videos of council meetings do not have captions
  • our planning maps and Google maps are not accessible.

Non-compliances

Select the relevant heading below to see specific non-compliance issues.

https://www.waverley.gov.uk/

Insufficient colour contrast

We were made aware of an issue with insufficient colour contrast on the header and footer of our main website in July 2022.

This is due to the gradient style applied on the header and footer not meeting WCAG 2.1 AA contrast ratio thresholds. This fails 1.4.3 – Contrast (Minimum) https://dequeuniversity.com/rules/axe/4.3/color-contrast


Current status

We are working with our supplier to identify a solution to the issue detailed above and also carrying out further automated checks to ensure all outstanding issues have been identified. We aim to provide a further update in February 2024.

https://waverley-self.achieveservice.com/MyServices

‘Skip navigation’ button along the banner is not clear on the dark grey background. This fails WCAG 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum) https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Understanding/contrast-minimum.html

The Register and Log-in buttons in the header use a list element that has direct children with a role that is not allowed and can't be recognised by a screen reader.  They also don't do not have an ARIA parents role. This can be confusing for people using assistive technology and fails WCAG 1.3.1 Info and Relationships https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Understanding/info-and-relationships.html

Individual forms

‘Skip navigation’ button along the banner is not clear on the dark grey background. This fails WCAG 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum) https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Understanding/contrast-minimum.html

The red stars to identify where mandatory information is required in a field use an incorrect ARIA attribute. This may make accessibility worse for users. This fails WCAG 4.1.2 Name, Role and Value  https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Understanding/name-role-value.html


Current status

We are working on new self-service/online form solutions which will in turn resolve the issues related to the online forms (achieveservice.com) site listed above. We aim to complete this work by May 2024.

https://planning360.waverley.gov.uk:4443/planning/

All pages

Homepage

Online planning applications search results page

eg: https://planning360.waverley.gov.uk:4443/planning/search-applications?civica.query.FullTextSearch=GU6%208RG

Online planning applications detail page

eg: https://planning360.waverley.gov.uk:4443/planning/search-applications?civica.query.FullTextSearch=GU6%208rg#VIEW?RefType=GFPlanning&KeyNo=534458&KeyText=Subject


Current status

We are working with our supplier to identify solutions to the issues detailed above and schedule this work to take place. We anticipate this work being completed as part of the next system update by the end of 2024.

https://ats-waverley.jgp.co.uk/vacancies

Our suppliers fixed all accessiblity issues identified in our audit by July 2022.

Insufficient colour contrast 

A further issue related to the colour contrast used on the Waverley Borough Council branding on the header and footer was identified during July 2022. Updates on this issue are covered in the main website - non-compliance section above. 

Disproportionate burden

Regarding the sites listed below, we have engaged with the suppliers since the issues were first identified in the relevant accessibility check(s) and worked through options to fix them.

However, having assessed the costs involved – both in terms of system updates/upgrades and officer time – we believe that doing so now would be a disproportionate burden within the meaning of the accessibility regulations.

We are working to ensure accessibility is a key criteria for any third party site or system we use to deliver our online services.

Content outside the scope of the accessibility regulations

The accessibility regulations do not require us to fix PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018 if they're not essential to providing our services.

Any new documents we produce are designed with accessibility in mind and checked for compliance before being published online. 

Preparation of this accessibility statement

  • Statement prepared: 13 January 2022
  • Last reviewed: 30 November 2023

This website was last tested between 15 - 23 December 2021. The test was carried out by Smarter Digital Services (SDS).

SDS used a combination of semi-automated evaluation tools and manual testing on a variety of templates and pages. 

We chose a variety of templates and pages on our main website and other websites we use to deliver our services to get a good sample of content and the different types of templates used.  

You can read the full accessibility audit report.